


Ways We Say I Love You

by HeadphoneArcheologist



Category: Fire Emblem Series, Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Canon Compliant, Don't copy to another site, Flowers, Fluff with some angst, Multi, One Shot, POV Outsider, Pre-Time Skip, short and sweet, some spoilers maybe, they/them pronouns for byleth
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-14
Updated: 2020-02-14
Packaged: 2021-02-25 05:09:12
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,374
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22490599
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HeadphoneArcheologist/pseuds/HeadphoneArcheologist
Summary: Fate has brought Jeralt and his child back to Garreg Mach despite his best efforts to stay away. Jeralt knows Byleth is more than capable of handling themselves and yet he cannot help but worry that bringing them here was a mistake.However, overhearing a conversation between his child and a certain student, Jeralt wonders if maybe the monastery is good for them after all.
Relationships: My Unit | Byleth/Claude von Riegan
Comments: 10
Kudos: 89





	Ways We Say I Love You

**Author's Note:**

> Happy Valentine's Day  
> I wanted to write a proper valentines day fic but I didn't have time, so I found the fluffiest thing in my drafts instead.
> 
> This is a super short little fic that I wrote for no real reason. I was inspired by what Jeralt said about Byleth's mother loving flowers and thought I'd write a little something.

To think that after all these years, Jeralt Eisner is right back where he started; serving the church as captain of the Knights of Seiros. It's almost embarrassing how easily he had gotten roped back into service, but then again he had always suspected it would happen.

Try as he might he could only hope to protect Byleth from the church for so long.

Rhea is far too stubborn.

Jeralt sighs, there's still so much he needs to explain to Byleth about the church, their mother, and the circumstances of their birth. Each day he puts it off it only gets more and more difficult to find the right words.

Some days he wonders if Byleth's mother were still alive, would it be any easier? 

Her ring catches the light, sitting innocently on the desk in his quarters, drawing his eye. Jeralt crosses the room and carefully picks the ring up. He observes how the light reflects off the smooth surface and violet gemstones as he twists the ring between his fingers.

Jeralt remembers how the ring looked on her hand. 

Oh how he loved her...

Closing his fingers around her ring, Jeralt resolves to visit her grave. He hasn't been able to bring himself to do so since his return to Garreg Mach but with the way things are going he might not get another chance.

Besides, it's about time he let Byleth visit their mother.

-

As he walks through the halls of the monastery, Jeralt can't help but notice all the ways the monastery hasn't changed at all. The stone may wear and the sands may shift, but the essence of the monastery is still the same even after all these years. Much like himself, it seems time has abandoned Garreg Mach.

Byleth could be anywhere in this goddess damned place. 

Despite his many years of service, Jeralt never did bother learning the layout of the monastery. The place is too damn big with far too many secret doors. In all honestly he doesn't even know where Byleth's office is.

Fortunately Jeralt comes across Seteth just as he steps out onto the first floor. Given how little he seems to trust Byleth and how highly he values Rhea's safety, Seteth must be keeping tabs on both of them. Therefore he must have at least some idea where Byleth could be.

Not that Jeralt trusts Seteth anymore than he trusts Rhea, but even someone untrustworthy has their uses.

Seteth looks up as Jeralt approaches, his gaze sharp and calculating. His posture straightens as he folds his hands smoothly behind his back, perfectly composed and collected. “Ah, Captain Jeralt. Good morning.”

The man's voice is pleasant enough but lacks any real warmth.

Jeralt scratches the back of his neck. “Yeah... morning. Say, you haven't seen Byleth around have you?”

Straight to the point. Simple.

If his blunt manner of speech is irksome, Seteth doesn't voice his complaints and merely answers the question. “Hm, last I heard the professor was finishing up the weeks lesson plan in their room. However I highly doubt they are still there. They seem to have a habit of running all across the monastery at least once a month.”

So in the end Seteth is of no use. “Right. Well thanks.”

Seteth nods. “If I see them, I'll be sure to let them know you were asking for them.”

Without another word, Jeralt takes his leave.

It certainly sounds like Byleth; to be running across the monastery fetching items for the knights, or checking up on the brats. Bouncing between tasks, Byleth is nearly always on the move these days. It's been sort of refreshing to see them show genuine interest in something for once. Jeralt can't remember a time they took a job this seriously and actually enjoyed it.

Byleth certainly surprised him with how quickly and naturally they have settled into the role of teacher.

Really it's no wonder they end up running around the monastery the way they do. Byleth is always whiling to help their students train or return whatever lost items they happen to find on the ground. They clearly care about their students; enough to put their life at risk time and time again. 

It's admirable even if his child's work ethic is working against him today.

“I guess I'll try the academy first...” 

Jeralt spends the next half hour searching the academy grounds for Byleth, but no one has seen them. A girl with pink hair that Jeralt recognizes from Byleth's class goes so far as to tell him, “The professor? I'm not sure... I didn't even know we had a professor, so I definitely don't know where they might be.”

About to give up his search entirely, Jeralt notices a familiar head of blue hair tucked away in a quiet corner of the monastery. However his child appears to be too engrossed in conversation to take the same notice of him. The young man they are speaking to is none other than Claude von Riegan.

Jeralt slows his steps to a stop. Rather than interrupt their conversation, he drifts closer to the nearest wall and observes the pair. He cannot hear what they are talking about from this distance, but Byleth is smiling.

They so very rarely smiled before coming to Garreg Mach, and it's all thanks to those brats. That Riegan kid in particular. 

Claude makes a grand gesture, and with a flourish, presents Byleth with a small but beautiful wildflower. 

Upon seeing the flower Byleth's face lights up and their smile takes on an entirely new brightness; blinding in it's brilliance. Jeralt has never seen them smile like that, but he recognizes the look all the same.

It's the same way his wife smiled when Jeralt gifted her flowers.

Byleth takes the gift from Claude's hands. They trace gentle fingers across the petals, then they bring the flower close and breathe in the scent. Byleth is too absorbed in the blossom to notice Claude's expression, but Jeralt does.

The golden lord's eyes are wide, his cheeks flushed just dark enough to notice. Claude opens his mouth but doesn't seem to say anything. He gazes at his professor with both shock and awe, like a man being entrusted with something holy. 

Byleth tucks the flower behind their ear. They say something to Claude, which makes his flush darken. Though he tries to play it off by looking away, his posture is too stiff to be truly relaxed. Byleth doesn't seem to notice or at the very least they don't call him out on it.

The yellow petals of the flower suit the dark blue of Byleth's hair.

A delicate floral scent, her smile so bright and kind... The sound of her voice as she thanked him and pressed a kiss to his cheek.

Jeralt's heart aches.

Flowers have always had a language of their own, but Jeralt never bothered to learn it. He couldn't say what flower Claude gave Byleth let alone what it's supposed to mean, but he doesn't think it matters. Whatever the flower, the meaning here is clear.

Jeralt leaves the two of them to their moment, continuing his journey toward the cemetery. His steps are heavy though he cannot help but smile. The melancholy of the past cannot drench the hope he has for Byleth's future.

-

Later Byleth meets him in the graveyard. Yellow petals are stuck in their hair.

Jeralt feels the heavy weight of his wife's ring in his hand. In stages he let's go. “Give me your hand kid.”

Byleth seems surprised as he tips the ring into their open palm. “It belonged to your mother” Jeralt explains, “someday I want you to give that ring to someone you love just as much as I loved her.”

They fold their fingers over the ring and nod with a serious expression. It's not dissimilar to the way they looked back when they were mercenaries and Jeralt was describing their next mission. It's an expression he is used to seeing from Byleth.

“Thank you” Byleth says, their voice quiet and rough with disuse. 

Jeralt smiles. 

As his child walks away, Jeralt wonders if anyone in particular had come to mind when he passed on the ring.

**Author's Note:**

> Fun Fact! the 'pink haired girl' Jeralt talks to is definitely Hilda and she definitely knew where Byleth was but lied so Claude would have more time alone with his precious Teach


End file.
